Kindly Cop Larry DePrimo Explains Why He Bought Homeless Man Shoes

New York City Police Officer Lawrence “Larry” DePrimo has charmed the internet, thanks to a photo of him buying an elderly homeless man a pair of warm boots on a cold night.

DePrimo held a press conference yesterday, in which he provided further insight into what happened. According to the 25-year-old, whose usual beat is in Manhattan’s West Village, he was working special detail in Midtown on November 14 when he overheard somebody taunting a homeless man for having no shoes.

So the officer walked over to the transient and asked him what had happened to his footwear. “It’s OK. I’ve never had a pair of shoes, but God bless you,” was the man’s response.

DePrimo says he was overwhelmed by the man’s humility, especially in the face of the taunting and on a night so cold his own feet were feeling it despite combat boots and two pairs of socks.

“What sticks out in my mind is that he was just such a kind gentleman that I really had to help him,” DePrimo explained.

Luckily there was a Sketchers store nearby, and when DePrimo told the salesperson that he wanted to buy a pair of warm, long-lasting boots for a homeless man the store gave him the 50 percent employee discount on a $100 pair. DePrimo then added a pair of socks and presented them to homeless man.

“He smiled from ear to ear,” DePrimo said. “It was like you gave him a million dollars.”

Thanks to the photo, which was snapped by Jennifer Foster, a tourist from Arizona, DePrimo’s kindness and generosity is now making a lot of people smile. Watch his press conference below.

Welcome back to Rock 108 - The Rock Station

It appears that you already have an account created within our VIP network of sites on . To keep your points and personal information safe, we need to verify that it's really you. To activate your account, please confirm your password. When you have confirmed your password, you will be able to log in through Facebook on both sites.

*Please note that your points, prizes and activities will not be shared between programs within our VIP network.

Welcome back to Rock 108 - The Rock Station

It appears that you already have an account on this site associated with . To connect your existing account just click on the account activation button below. You will maintain your existing VIP profile. After you do this, you will be able to always log in to http://keyj.com using your original account information.